Weekly Devotional 9-12-22 Some Good News!
It is almost unbelievable how fast the societies of the world are moving toward total chaos in all realms of life. Financial instability has gripped much of the world as it moves deeper and deeper into the ideologies of Socialism. Thousands are fleeing South America, the African States, and many of the Middle East countries because of the atrocities of Isis, Hamas, and other militants. America is sliding billions of dollars each day deeper and deeper in debt not even able to pay the interest on its borrowed monies. Unemployment and or underemployment have moved much of our populace into poverty and a dependence on the government. As a nation, America, because of its expulsion of God has lost its sense of morality. Even the church (so called) no longer worships its head, the Lord Jesus Christ, but worships gods of humanistic imaginations and/or philosophy
.So, where is the good news in all of this? There would not be any if man were in control of the outcome, but he is not. Believed or not, God exists, and He is at work bringing about the end of all chaos.
Long ago (6,000 plus years ago) God surrendered partial control of the earth and man to the prince of this world, Satan. This partial control has a set duration, and it will come to an end. We need not doubt this because God has given testimony of its end and has given us a view into heaven where we see the title deed of the earth, which He has always possessed, being handed to God the Son, the only rightful heir. Consider Revelation chapter five. “1And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll (the deed) written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ 3And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’ 6And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.’ 11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ 13And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ 14Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.”
The first thing we should notice in the passage above is that God the Father has always had the deed (the ownership) of the earth, in truth, all of creation. And the second thing we should notice is the deed is passed to the Son, not to anyone else. True ownership stays in the Godhead.
In the interim, from Satan’s usurpation (Genesis 3) until the time of Revelation 5 God is calling out of humanity those, He will populate the new heaven and a new earth with. Again we turn to the Book of Revelation where we read; “1Now I (the apostle John) saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ 5Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ 6And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.’” (Revelation 21:1-7)
The good news continues with this thought, God is calling to Himself those who thirst after this new heaven and this new earth. He is saving and securing them from being forever cast from His presence into eternal chaos. We read from Revelation 21:8 NKJV, “8But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Anyone and everyone can escape this sentence and can inherit the new heaven and the new earth. This truly is good news. The door is set before us. Jesus said that He is that door (see John 10:1-9). He said to a religious leader of His day (Nicodemus) and indirectly to us, “16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18He who believes in Him is not condemned. (John 3:16-18a). What better news could there possibly be?
I end with this thought; For there to be good news bad news must exist and that bad news comes in the form of a warning from Jesus, Himself. “18b But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:18b-20).
Come to the light and you will not be of the condemned.
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